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Getting to know you

During our first kindergarten guidance lesson I got to know the students, and they go to know me! We talked about what school counselors do, and why kindergarteners need school counselors. We also talked a little bit about being in a new school, and riding the bus.

Feelings

During the second kindergarten lesson, I talk about "feelings." Students brainstorm "feeling words," like sad, mad, glad, happy, excited, surprised, grumpy, silly... and many others. We talk about these feelings, and about what those feelings might look like on a person's face. The students always do a wonderful job showing these feelings on their OWN face! We also talk about how important it is to talk about our feelings, and to understand how other people feel.

"I feel" Messages

During our third and fourth kindergarten guidance lessons, I teach students about "I feel" messages. During the third lesson, students learned what an "I feel" message is, why it's helpful to use "I feel" messages, when to use them. Students learn that an "I feel" message is safe a way for a person to tell someone else how they feel about something without blaming or threatening. They also learn how to build and use an "I feel" message! Students can practice using "I feel" messages in school and at home.

For our fourth guidance lesson, we review how to build "I feel" messages, and students practiced using them. Students get to pair up with a friend and then role-play giving an "I feel" message to their friend. 

Click here to learn more about "I feel" messages.

Personal Body Safety

During the fifth guidance lesson we read a book entitled Uncle Willy's Tickles, which is a story about a child who feels uncomfortable because his favorite Uncle tickles him too much. Students learned that their body belongs to them, and they have a right to tell anyone "No!" or "Stop it!" when someone is doing something to their body that they don't like - whether it is pinching, tickling, hitting, pulling hair... or even hugging.

We also talk about how everybody is different, and while some people really like to be tickled, other people don't - and that's okay! We then talk about the things that we like, and the things we don't like. Some kids say they really LIKE to be tickled and tickled, and some kids say they don't like to be tickled at all. The important part is that if it makes us feel uncomfortable, then it is okay to say, "Stop it! I don't like it when you do that!"

Individual Differences
During the sixth and final kindergarten guidance lesson, we talk about individual differences. We read the book It's Okay to be Different by Todd Parr. After discussion, I ask students "What is your most favorite thing to do." I then ask students to use paper and crayons to draw a picture of themselves doing their favorite activity. We then discuss how some of them liked to do the same things, and some liked to do different things. We are all the same in some ways, yet we are all different and special.